Joe H

Arguably the best hamburger in the United States is the HALF POUND hamburger at the Charcoal Pit on 202 about a mile down from Brandywine. They also make real milkshakes, too. Note that the Charcoal Pit has three or four locations; it is ONLY the 202 location that I am raving about.

I did not move to Reston until I was 41 years old. I did not have children. Schools had no bearing on my decision to live here. Nor did they play any role in my decision to live in Silver Spring or in McLean Gardens. I am sorry but it is impossible for me not to respond to you. There is no one on this or any board who will obsessively, endlessly, passionately promote DC more than I. Once a month my wife and I visit the National/Warner/Kennedy/etc. Once every two weeks we eat somewhere downtown. I drive from Reston to the Mall and walk the four miles roundtrip from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial and back-once every two weeks in the spring and summer. I feel priviliged to have been born here and to have grown up here. I have also made the active decision with a business that allows me to literally live anywhere in North America to live here. To CONTINUE to live HERE, if you don't mind, since I love this city-my CITY-so much. As a rare native born Washingtonian I claim this right. I would add that I also married a native born Washingtonian! I would also note that in the early '60's I took girls on dates to the Jefferson Memorial thinking what a great place for a first kiss (!),in the late '60's I was gassed at Dupont Circle as a war protester; later, I saw Hendrix, stoned, play the Star Spangled Banner while I, also, was stoned at the Ambassador theatre at 18th and Columbia in '69. I've been to the Folklife Festival a dozen times, fireworks on the Mall thirty or forty times, eaten fish sandwiches on Maine Avenue in five decades and am one of the few who have taken the tour of the haunted catacombs under the Lincoln Memorial which the National Park Service used to host at midnight. Of course I've been to the White House, the Supreme Court, worked on a second degree in the National Archives and had many "last cigarette evers" outside of the jaw dropping, awe inspiring artistic and literary majesty of the Library of Congress. I also drove a cab for eight or nine years in the city and gave countless, endless tours of all of DC, from the observation platform of the National Cathedral (the HIGHEST POINT OF THE CITY) to a rise in Southeast overlooking the expansive city which is the most impressive view of Washington. I know a bit about Washington. I know a bit about its culture. And its opportunities. As well as its past and what it is today. I live in Reston. In a 31 unit townhouse cluster. A neighbor and a good friend is the former CFO of AIG and lived, before Reston, in Knightsbridge in London for 8 years. Today he lives in London for two months, Malaga for two and my cluster for eight. Another neighbor is head of sales for an IT services company (not quite the position today that it may sound!). He is from India as is his wife. A third neighbor also has a "second" house in his hometown-Sydney. He bought a house here while on assignment for his Australian company. A fourth neighbor just moved from Praha (Prague in the Czech Republic), a fifth from Budapest (where my best friend was also born and lived for his first twenty + years). Did I mention the neighbor from Bremen? The neighbor who just moved back from Tel Aviv? The neighbor who's last assignment was the first secretary in the American embassy in Singapore? Of course there are others. Of course there is myself who travels over 30 days a year in Europe on business and does driving trips through six or seven countries no longer using a map. Don't talk to me about a lack of culture in the suburbs or agreeing to disagree. Because one lives "outside the beltway" does not mean they have any less culture, any less "couth" than you or anyone else. The wealth of living in a truly international community is absolutely invaluable. The wealth of travelling internationally is also. One does not need to live in the city that I was born in and grew up in to know this. And, as for schools in the suburbs, do you have any idea of the ethnic composition of Thomas Jefferson, arguably America's best school? It's in the suburbs. Or Montgomery Blair, Montgomery County's magnet school, my alma mater, in Silver Spring? I'm sorry but the arrogance of those who move to the city which is mine can be stifling and overwhelming at times. Whether McLean, Georgetown, Landover or Middleburg we are all Washingtonians. This city, my city, does not limit it's opportunities and cultural wealth to either its borders or to those who live within its geographical boundaries. Forgive me but sometimes I think its necessary to point out that life doesn't end when one crosses the river. Nor do cultural opportunities. This is an extraordinary city, one of the Great places on earth where many people come together. Just not all live where you think they do. Some, perhaps many, perhaps even most, are "out here." ← Sometimes I get a bit carried away. Sorry.

I did not move to Reston until I was 41 years old. I did not have children. Schools had no bearing on my decision to live here. Nor did they play any role in my decision to live in Silver Spring or in McLean Gardens. I am sorry but it is impossible for me not to respond to you. There is no one on this or any board who will obsessively, endlessly, passionately promote DC more than I. Once a month my wife and I visit the National/Warner/Kennedy/etc. Once every two weeks we eat somewhere downtown. I drive from Reston to the Mall and walk the four miles roundtrip from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial and back-once every two weeks in the spring and summer. I feel priviliged to have been born here and to have grown up here. I have also made the active decision with a business that allows me to literally live anywhere in North America to live here. To CONTINUE to live HERE, if you don't mind, since I love this city-my CITY-so much. As a rare native born Washingtonian I claim this right. I would add that I also married a native born Washingtonian! I would also note that in the early '60's I took girls on dates to the Jefferson Memorial thinking what a great place for a first kiss (!),in the late '60's I was gassed at Dupont Circle as a war protester; later, I saw Hendrix, stoned, play the Star Spangled Banner while I, also, was stoned at the Ambassador theatre at 18th and Columbia in '69. I've been to the Folklife Festival a dozen times, fireworks on the Mall thirty or forty times, eaten fish sandwiches on Maine Avenue in five decades and am one of the few who have taken the tour of the haunted catacombs under the Lincoln Memorial which the National Park Service used to host at midnight. Of course I've been to the White House, the Supreme Court, worked on a second degree in the National Archives and had many "last cigarette evers" outside of the jaw dropping, awe inspiring artistic and literary majesty of the Library of Congress. I also drove a cab for eight or nine years in the city and gave countless, endless tours of all of DC, from the observation platform of the National Cathedral (the HIGHEST POINT OF THE CITY) to a rise in Southeast overlooking the expansive city which is the most impressive view of Washington. I know a bit about Washington. I know a bit about its culture. And its opportunities. As well as its past and what it is today. I live in Reston. In a 31 unit townhouse cluster. A neighbor and a good friend is the former CFO of AIG and lived, before Reston, in Knightsbridge in London for 8 years. Today he lives in London for two months, Malaga for two and my cluster for eight. Another neighbor is head of sales for an IT services company (not quite the position today that it may sound!). He is from India as is his wife. A third neighbor also has a "second" house in his hometown-Sydney. He bought a house here while on assignment for his Australian company. A fourth neighbor just moved from Praha (Prague in the Czech Republic), a fifth from Budapest (where my best friend was also born and lived for his first twenty + years). Did I mention the neighbor from Bremen? The neighbor who just moved back from Tel Aviv? The neighbor who's last assignment was the first secretary in the American embassy in Singapore? Of course there are others. Of course there is myself who travels over 30 days a year in Europe on business and does driving trips through six or seven countries no longer using a map. Don't talk to me about a lack of culture in the suburbs or agreeing to disagree. Because one lives "outside the beltway" does not mean they have any less culture, any less "couth" than you or anyone else. The wealth of living in a truly international community is absolutely invaluable. The wealth of travelling internationally is also. One does not need to live in the city that I was born in and grew up in to know this. And, as for schools in the suburbs, do you have any idea of the ethnic composition of Thomas Jefferson, arguably America's best school? It's in the suburbs. Or Montgomery Blair, Montgomery County's magnet school, my alma mater, in Silver Spring? I'm sorry but the arrogance of those who move to the city which is mine can be stifling and overwhelming at times. Whether McLean, Georgetown, Landover or Middleburg we are all Washingtonians. This city, my city, does not limit it's opportunities and cultural wealth to either its borders or to those who live within its geographical boundaries. Forgive me but sometimes I think its necessary to point out that life doesn't end when one crosses the river. Nor do cultural opportunities. This is an extraordinary city, one of the Great places on earth where many people come together. Just not all live where you think they do. Some, perhaps many, perhaps even most, are "out here."

I have a case of their 2000 which they have directly imported for at least the past five or more years but have not opened it year. Pepe told me this was the last year (the 2001 you mentioned) which they will be getting it and he said it was a real value and drinkable now. I trust and respect his opinions. The 1998 and '99 were more than worthwhile but they were MUCH cheaper. I still have a few bottles of the '98 left and it was a good investment-but I think I paid something like $16 or 17-not $27. I'd probably try a bottle of the '01 but, frankly, I don't have the same enthusiasm for it that I did at two thirds the price. (Don't forget the Euro vs. dollar)

← I actually believe it was in its first year, perhaps part of its second. I think there was a great deal of pressure on them to show a profit for the second. By the way, does anyone know why there wasn't another wine event at the Ritz Carlton this year?

But why does it have to be close to DC or Maryland or anywhere else for that matter? A Bonefish Grill opened a few weeks ago in Ashburn and the Thurday night I tried to go I was told that there was a 160 minute wait for a table. And I'd venture to guess that only a handful of those people were from outside of Loudoun County. You'd think a good independent place could survive on a third of that crowd. ← This is exactly my point, Bill, Bonefish Grill-a local outpost of a national chain that has a good product targeted for an older (as opposed to family) crowd-is doing extremely well, AGAIN, in areas far outside the beltway. This is also why I mentioned three restaurants in Leesburg and noted their proximity to an outlet mall and Costco: there IS a market for this here/there. For the reasons that all of the restaurants surivive that I noted three or four posts ago (and listed numerous examples; Addie's was a great example, too!) there is a very real market for the kind of restaurant that we are talking about outside the beltway. I would add, of course there is. Frankly, if I could influence Jeff Black or Roberto to consider Herndon I would. Could you imagine Old Town Herndon with one of Black's restaurants next to Roberto's new one (he lives near Great Falls), perhaps with a Ray's down the street, maybe an alumnus of the Market Street Grill (similar to the move to Geranio), and a couple of others? This COULD happen. The market is there. And, as Wegmans has noted, the wealth is there. Note the success of Maestro, a downtown experience that is outside the beltway.

"Tysons is every bit as urban as downtown Washington" The definition of urban is "constituting or comprising a city or town, characteristic of the city as distinguished from the country." With 29 million square feet of office space and a density of population similar to much of D. C. how else would you describe Tysons? 1. My purpose was not to get into a city vs. suburban thing. I love downtown DC and spend a great deal of my time there. I also enjoy living in Reston. Again, I have lived downtown, in Montgomery County and in Northern VA. And, I was born here 58 years ago and never moved away. I did not mention ONLY one area: I talked about several in two states and one city. I also mentioned my neighbors in Reston and friends who live downtown. As several in this thread they have more in common with each other they would care to admit. 2. Connecticut Ave in the 1400-1900 block DOES feel like Paris. In fact much of Washington feels like Paris. What is the big deal about saying this? I love this city and also know Paris extremely well from many, many trips on business over many years. Washington is a very European city, the most European of any North American city. It is also one of the most beautiful cities on earth and I am proud to be a native. The similarities to Paris is not by accident; after all it was laid out by L'Enfant. 3. Could someone comment on my thoughts about Herndon and Vienna as locations for a chef owned/operated restaurant rather than arguing about Tysons? There's no question in my mind that it's a horror/sucks/is not pedestrian friendly/dangerous/etc. We agree.

This is a really great point and I think it speaks directly to why there are not more L'Auberge etc. type of restaurants in the suburban areas of DC. ← Why does a restaurant in the suburbs where 90% of the population of the D. C. metro area lives NEED anyone from inside the beltway to travel to it to survive? Why does there need to be foot traffic for a destination restaurant to survive? Why does every restaurant opening on every pad in the suburbs have to be marketed to families? And, the very fact that the competition from chains is THE competition is the reason that when an independently owned restaurant opens the frequency of it succeeding is greater than the frequency of a similar restaurant succeeding in D. C.? I was born in D. C. and have lived downtown, in Montgomery County and in Reston. I am struck by people in the suburbs who really don't "understand" D. C. and who rarely go into it except perhaps to work, having any real idea of what Washington is all about. Similarly I am struck by people in D. C. who assume that the world "outside the Beltway" is all vans, pads and chains. Both have much to learn from the other. Tysons is every bit as urban as downtown Washington. Bonefish Grill squarely markets itself to adults with its supper club ambience and after 5 opening. No it's not Black Salt nor Kinkead's. But the four that have opened in the past two years are all successful, clearly demonstrating that the very LACK of adult restaurants is what helps ensure the success of a decent one (albiet part of a chain) when it does open. There are a half dozen examples of decent to good individually owned restaurants in Western Fairfax that have been open 5 years + (i.e. EuroBistro, SBC Cafe, etc.) and are successful. Leesburg supports Tuscarora Mill, Lightfoot Cafe and Zaferelli's second restaurant, all in or near an old Town "pocket" (if you will) close to a 100+ store outlet mall, a new Costco and Super Target and countless clones of outposts of national chains. There is no foot traffic in front of any of them. Certainly not like Old Town or Georgetown or Adams Morgan. Yet all three would fit into any of these neighborhoods and survive. I could also add not only Old Town Fairfax but also independently owned restaurants that have surivived for 10+ years intermingled with the strip shopping centers on the nearby Lee highway. And a dozen other areas in Fairfax County, a dozen more in Montgomery (Olney?) not even counting Bethesda; look at Jerry's Seafood in Lanham which is the best Maryland style seafood restaurant in the Washington area and rarely mentioned on here. Clearly, there is NO foot traffic in Lanham! It's in its third decade now. Great Falls has several restaurants in two or three different locations marketing themselves not to families but to adults. I am not including L'auberge in this. But L'auberge does illustrate a point: the actual lack of or paucity of these types of restaurants generates a great deal of interest when one does open. If it's decent it will survive. If it's good it will be successful. If it's excellent even those from "inside the beltway" will drive out to it.

St. Basil had a horrible location and was overpriced for where it was-an outdated shopping center that most in Reston are not actively aware exists. There are pockets in western Fairfax county where, despite the absence of foot traffic, a "destination" restaurant would succeed. Zefferelli's, The Russia House, Jimmy's Old Town Tavern, The Ice House Cafe all clustered in Old Town Herndon come to mind. Note that three of these four have all survived at least 15 years. A new smaller office building is currently under construction in the middle of this area that would seem suited to a restaurant. My guess is that rent in this building would not begin to approach, say, Tysons or Reston. In Vienna there are a number of enduring restaurants (Bonaroti, several French, Nizam)similar to the those mentioned above. None of these are outstanding. All are good to very good, all have loyal followings, all are successful and enduring, all are "destinations" (i.e. little foot traffic-people come because they know them). I've heard many chefs say they would like to find somewhere in the Tysons to Dulles corridor yet are frustrated by the outrageous rents and start up costs of malls, Reston Town Center, etc. that are mandated. I am given two specific suggestions for where they should look and would be interested in any opinions from those on this board about them.

For me this has become a very disappointing thread with not a single mention of my discussion of two areas in Northern VA which I felt would support the very type of restaurant that a half dozen or so people are complaining are disappearing. Especially with so many chefs who follow this board I am surprised that there has not been a comment on the two areas I mentioned. As for Georgetown it has little in common with what it was in the '60's and this had little in common with the slums in the early '50's, which is exactly what it was then. We rarely go to Georgetown anymore, preferring Old Town. A shame since part of Georgetown, especially the area along the C & O canal is absolutely beautiful and a world apart from M street or Wisconsin avenue. I probably find other areas of DC more interesting today such as Adams Morgan or walking along Connecticut Avenue near Dupont circle which feels exactly like, say, Paris. Banana Republic, McDonald's and several hundred more vanilla outposts are seemingly ubiquitous whether here or walking along any main street in Europe. A very real shame; sometimes I think the best we can hope for in certain areas is that a chain or a "link" from a group might move in that is somewhat better than the norm. For Tyson's the four that are coming all represent, at a minimum, this last statement.

I have no idea what a "legitimate chain" is. I said that Coastal Flats was "legitimately good" which it is.

As an outpost of a "chain" Coastal Flats is legitimately good. Wildfire and Shaw's are from Lettuce Entertain You and both extremely successful in the Chicago area. Morimoto's will be his second in the U. S. preceding his Manhattan opening. Overall these four are strong anchors for Tysons. Still, there is nothing from a "homebased" chef and I agree with you on this. My guess is that it is only the national companies or those with national reputations that can afford the exhorbitant rents that are being charged. What Tysons/Reston/Herndon/Vienna need is an area a couple of blocks off of the main drag where Donna/Jeff Black/Kinkead/Buben/O'Grady and others can open in an anchoring "cluster" such as an old town type of ambience where they can afford the kind of operation and overhead that we want to find down the street from where we live. Old Town Herndon does have this as does part of Vienna a block in from 123. Both have yet to be discovered by these and other chefs looking in the NoVa suburbs. Hint to those who read this board.

Again, Roberto had never seen Iron Chef before-nor had he judged a show (as suggested). It was totally new to him. I believe his impression was to prepare the five best tasting dishes that he could in the one hour period-in a totally new kitchen. A kitchen that Morimoto had cooked in many, many times before, a show that he had participated in seventy six times before! For Roberto this was his first time. His first time on the show, his first time in this kitchen! Also, for, Roberto, initially, this was about taste NOT about efficiency. I would suggest that there is also a conceptual difference here about what constitutes a great meal and a significant part of this is taste. What Roberto Donna puts out in his Laboratorio is extraordinary. It is a reflection not of a mechanically efficient chef but rather of one who grew up with food and taste as a labor of true love, of a respect for the pure pleasure that creatively prepared and organically sourced cuisine can inspire. I have not tasted Morimoto's cooking, although he is coming to Tyson's this fall. But, based on what I have seen, I believe there are two totally different perspectives. And, often, one's absolute love of food does not necessarily lead to the most efficient preparation of it. In fact, if taste were the only prerequisite, I suspect that there would be a different Iron Chef. I also wonder what kind of comments there will be on here about Tyson's Morimoto, knowing what most critics have to say about Laboratorio. If taste, if texture, if sensorial pleasure were the only criteria I know that Roberto is the Iron Chef that I would trust for the meal of my dreams, for the meal of my life. While a few more minutes on the Iron Chef made a difference for efficiency- for taste in Roberto's Laboratorio, a few more minutes have delivered flavors and tastes equal to any that I have ever had.

Are the four restaurants which have been announced for the fall opening which includes a food court and 16 theatre AMC stadium complex.

I just returned from watching this with 200+ others at Galileo. For Morimoto this was his 77th appearance on Iron Chef; for Roberto it was his first. In fact Roberto had never seen the show before the taping; he was honored to be selected for this (Mario Batali is the only other Italian American chef selected) yet had no real idea of what he was going to experience. Now that he knows the format, the kitchen layout and the pacing (as Morimoto with 77 previous experiences) he looks forward to the possibility of a rematch and (my word) redemption. On March 30th (Weds.) he is duplicating his five courses for The Iron Chef in the Laboratorio. This was just announced tonight at the end of the taping. The cost is $110.

State Line Wines, 1/2 mile off of I 95 in Elkton is the highest volume and largest liquor store in Maryland. In the past Philadelphia Magazine has awarded it the title of best wine store in the greater Philadelphia area, affectionately calling it "Smuggler's Wines." It's worth a stop. It's large, the overall building is the size of a large Total including their warehouse. The floor area where wines are shown is about half the size of Total's but my guess is that this place competes with Calvert Woodley for volume since it has been called one of America's 10 highest volume stores in years past. Prices vary but overall are very competitive. Selection is awesome. This is also the store that ends up with severely allocated wine when no one else in the state of Maryland gets it.

There are many, MANY nice little shops in our area. It is just a very real shame that municipalities such as Montgomery and Fairfax county have ordinances that mandate 50-50 food to liquor ratios which prevent the opening of the kinds of wine bars that you would typically find in Europe. There is an archaic belief that wine/liquor leads to ruination and anyone found in a wine bar is a lesser example of human life. Anyone operating a less distinguished establishment such as this is worthy of slurs and verbal assualt. Yet, two weeks ago in Vienna, I found a rather therapeutic, welcoming back street invitation to a comfortable wine bar where I was seated next to two couples from Munich and a single female from Prague. All of them spoke English and over the next two hours, along with a host/owner who occasionally stirred the bolognese sauce for the hand made pasta he offered, we who sipped his wine and became friends. They were in town along with 2,000 others for the Waltz, I was in town for a tradeshow. The winebar brought us together. This would not have happened in Reston.

This is the exact same formula which The Wine Cabinet uses in Reston and, my guess, that Arrowine, Cecile's and others may also use. Following is the e-mail which I received from The Wine Cabinet today, announcing much of the very same type of events that your store offers. (I am jealous! After almost 25 years of heavy travel I am ready to settle down and open my own wine shop. Someone beat me to it in Reston.) I should also add that I remember Mills from when my office was in Millersville and I would stop off in Annapolis on Friday evenings in the '80's. -------------------------------- The Word on the Grapevine is that we are as excited as we can be that we DIDN'T get a foot of snow or more last week!! To say that we were puzzled about the outrage voiced toward the local weathercasters is an understatement. They only bat .200 anyway. Why would we expect 100% accuracy? And besides, you couldn't have gotten to the shop with all that snow and we would have been sooooo lonely without you! Speaking of lonely... it's been 34 years that we've been lonely in the spring and summer without a major league ball club. Congrats to the Nats on winning their first Grapefruit League game. It ain't the World Series, but it sure does feel good!! If this continues, we may have a great reason to pop some Champagne come October!! (not to say that we couldn't now... or soon... or whenever!!!) Speaking of spring, you should see the giftware!! We've been overrun with bunnies, dragonflies and frogs (this one frog is dying for you to scratch his belly!) The girls got carried away, but you can bail us out; there is someone in your circle of life who needs one of these animals. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents March 8 - Tuedays with Ted : Syrah, Shiraz...Sirrah!! This Weekend's Tasting Table March 13 - Fiore di Luna: Austrian Wine Dinner March 12 - Art Uncorked Saturday March 12 - Forgive the French!! March 8 - Tuedays with Ted : Syrah, Shiraz...Sirrah!! March 8 7PM Tuesday with Ted: at The Wine Cabinet Que Sera...Syrah…Shiraz... what ever! You get the idea, regardless of how you say it, spell it or sing it they’re packed full of flavor and is one of the world’s fastest growing varietals in popularity. This blind tasting will have you singing too! March 29 7PM Tuesday with Ted: Big, Bad and Blind at The Wine Cabinet - That’s right, Cabernet Sauvignon will be on the docket without any information to influence your view. This blind tasting will put your palate first (as it should be!) and expensive marketing out the door. Reservations are important. Each class is usually full. Call or Sign up at the shop; Classes begin at $30. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This Weekend's Tasting Table Come spend 15 minutes or an hour with us on friday evening or saturday afternoon. Relax, sip some vino, talk wine with friends and neighbors... maybe even buy some to take home (it's always 10% off on the Tasting Table!) FRIDAY 5:00 - 8:00 pm Hughes Beaulieu, Kysela Wines Kysela has been bringing great wines to the Northern Virginia region for years. Does anyone know for just how long? This weekend will be no different. A wonderfully tasty Pinot Gris from Australia is just one of half a dozen we'll be sampling tomorrow evening. SATURDAY 12:30 - 5:00 Bill McKenney, Michael Downey Wines Michael Downey's palate was famous for his unerring selections. You can try six of the family's latest selections on Saturday and enjoy the knowledge and experiences of Bill McKenney at the same time. It's a relaxed saturday afternoon. We'll be looking forward to seeing you! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- March 13 - Fiore di Luna: Austrian Wine Dinner Cocktail Hour from 6:00pm to 7:00pm: The Vintners will present a selection of their top wines (includes some amazing reds) as you enjoy passed appetizers Menu Steininger Young Sekt 2003 (Sparkling Wine) TERRIANA ALLA ORTELANA Grilled vegetable terrine, with marinated anchovies Strauss Sauvignon Blanc Classic 2003 I PANZOTTI Panzotti filled with Burrata cheese, marinated eggplant Garnished with baby Arugula and black truffles Tegernseerhof Riesling Terrassen 2003 LA ORATA Filet of Royal Dorade wrapped in pasta dough and chestnut zabaglione Anton Bauer Grüner Veltliner Grande Reserve 2002 L’ANATRA DUE VOLTE Moulard Duck breast served over Duck confit bitter and sweet Chocolate Leo Hillinger St. Laurent 2002 MASCARPONE GALBANI Mascarpone cheese, berries and rhubarb sauce Steindorfer Eiswein Cuvee Klaus 2002 $85.00/guest (plus tax and gratuity) Please make your reservations by calling 703-668-9463 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- March 12 - Art Uncorked Art Uncorked" Saturday, March 12, 2005 The Wolf Trap Foundation and Broadway Gallery present "Art Uncorked," our second annual Art Auction and Wine Tasting event. The evening begins with a silent art auction at the Center for Education, with featured artists including Michael Godfrey, Sam Dixon, and Ken Strong. Guests will have the opportunity to sample and purchase wines at discounted prices from Oasis Winery, E&J Gallo Winery, the Wine Cabinet, and others. A delicious buffet of food, prepared by Executive Chef Chris Faessen, will complement the evening's wine selection. There will be an exciting raffle featuring artwork, fine wines, and travel for two on United Airlines. Raffle tickets may be purchased that evening at the door. The evening continues with a lavish Dessert and Champagne Dance in the beautifully rustic Barns at Wolf Trap. The proceeds from this event will benefit Wolf Trap's highly acclaimed Education Programs. For more information about this event, please call Wolf Trap Special Events at (703) 255-4030, or send e-mail to rsvp@wolftrap.org. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Saturday March 12 - Forgive the French!! William- Harrison will be conducting a very special portfolio tasting from all of the most prominent regions of France. Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhone Valley. they have hand selected the finest in their cellars and brought them out to Reston for all of Northern Virginia to sample and evaluate. In the past, this exceptional event was only held in DC. We are privledged to be able to host the principals and their staff as they offer some of the best French wines available in Northern Virginia. From Noon until 6:00 pm. there will be no charge for your participation in this unique opportunity. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Da Domenico is an excellent example of the kind of restaurant that is very good but rarely, if ever, is mentioned on boards. I agree that their veal chop is excellent, on par with the $40 veal chop I once had at La Paradou but priced much lower. Zefferelli's in Herndon, Bonaroti (mentioned above) and others have survived for decades without much press, yet with loyal followings. On the thread about Two Amy's pizza I'm reminded of Luigi's on 19th street which was a BIG DEAL when I was in high school at Blair in the early '60's. Then, Luigi's, was considered the best anywhere; it was a real event to take a date DOWNTOWN to go to Luigi's for pizza. Luigi's is still there but I don't think I've had it since high school. My guess is if someone posted a rave about it I would find myself "back" there within a week!

I have friends who have travelled all over the world and for the same reason that I like the original Ledo's in Hyattsville, they like St. Louis pizza-we/they/Bilrus grew up with it. I also know that despite my "liking" Ledo's in Hyattsville it is NOT the best pizza in or around D. C. just as they know that, say, Imo's (or another) is not the best on earth. There is a comfort, of sorts, with "hometown food" and St. Louis pizza/Dayton pizza/Old Forge pizza/Hyattsville Ledo's/Caserta's in Providence, Giordano's & Nancy's & Eduardo's (Chicago stuffed) etc., etc. represent this. Still, Two Amy's tastes exactly like what I've had in Naples. With the pressed tin ceiling and black and white tile it LOOKS exactly like Sostanza in Florence which doesn't have pizza but does have arguably Italy's best bisteca. I am still personally convinced that both Sally's Apizza and Pepe's-two blocks apart on the same street in New Haven-are the best pizza on earth. Modern, a few blocks away, may be the third best. This is a phenminal blog for pizza and will tell you everything you could ever want to know: http://www.sliceny.com/archives/pizzerias_...icut/new_haven/ When you scroll down look closely at the coal oven at Pepe's. Sally's is also a coal oven pie but Pepe's oven is DEEP, very deep. Look at the length of the handle they use. This is awesome stuff that only exists in a handful of places in the world anymore! Still, we are indeed fortunate to have Two Amy's. Now we are not debating whether DC has decent pizza; rather we are debating whether the BEST pizza is in Italy or elsewhere in the U. S.

Each October I arrange a blowout dinner at the Lab for 30 people, having done this for the two past years (and will do it again this Fall). I've also had at least seven or eight other dinners in it since it opened including two Smithsonian dinners which sell out within literally days of opening. I am convinced that Laboratorio as well as Maestro are the equal of any two Italian restaurants in America. I have actually called them America's two best over the years and am sincere in this statement. I also believe that Roberto, were he in Italy, would be one of the country's finest chefs. With all due respect to Palena, Laboratorio is on another level and one of this city's three best restaurants along with Maestro and Citronelle. Also, this Sunday night Roberto challenges Morimoto on Iron Chef. The fact that he was picked to challenge Morimoto speaks volumes. The only other Italian chef from an American restaurant was Mario Batali. Laboratorio is also one of the most difficult reservations in this city-this is why I posted this. I am surprised at your comments. In four years on another board I never read a post where someone had a less than an excellent and worthwhile experience at Laboratorio. (Not Galileo, but Laboratorio). I have also made at least a dozen different dishes from Roberto's cookbook and found each to be exemplery. Sorry, but I have a great deal of loyalty to Roberto Donna and believe we are fortunate to have him in this city. I respect your opinion and your experience but am very surprised. As an addendum I have never done the wine pairing at the Lab outside of the Smithosnian dinners. But when ordering off of the Wine Spectator Grand Award winning wine list I have found that every time this is one of the few restaurants in DC with proper service, i.e., decanting and coating each glass with the wine served at the proper temperature. My complaint, though, is that his markup on wine is high. Still corkage there is $15 which is remarkably low.

Two Amys is excellent. Having said this there is absolutely no way that it even approaches Pepe's or The Spot or DeLorenzo's Tomato pies in Trenton which he did not mention. Or Modern, also in New Haven, not mentioned. Or Santarpio's in Boston's West End, not mentioned. Curiously, there's a Patsy's in Phoenix yet he mentions Pizzaria Bianca. And fails to include either Grimaldi's in Brooklyn or Patsy's in Harlem.... or Wells Brothers in Racine. Someone in Dayton and someone leaving Imo's in St. Louis (who grew up with provel cheese) would have an opinion on this, too. For all of MY opinions and all of HIS opinions it still comes down to what an individual thinks of a particular place. Two Amy's has a lot in common with Brandi in Naples and Il Pizzaiola in Florence; yet I like New Haven better. In fact, to throw all of my credibility to the wind, I like the ORIGINAL Ledo's in Hyattsville better than Two Amy's. But I grew up with it. Maybe, even the Pizza Pantry on Walter Reed Drive in Arlington, too. Besides, the best thing at Two Amy's is NOT their pizza. It is their coffee, caramel, chocolate chip ice cream made in house with pasteurized cream.

There are many, many restaurants that are excellent that receive little attention on any of the boards (i.e. L'Auberge Chez Francois, Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Jerry's Seafood in Lanham) that have been around a long, long time and receive little mention either on a message board or in the press. As an example, for someone visiting D. C. for the first time, the Old Ebbitt Grill is a wonderful place to take them. Historic, a local institution and while the food isn't great it FEELS like D. C. Yet, it's rare that it receives a mention. How many people recommend Ray's for someone looking for steak on here when the Prime Rib is a landmark institution? Landini Bros. in Old Town is not the greatest Italian around, but, it's in a 300+ year old building with brick walls, stone floors, beamed ceilings and a lot of history and character that more than compensate for someone entertaining on business; these are the restaurants that people remember and want to go back to. Every week the trade association for my industry which is based here has people in from all over the world and has narrowed the restaurants they visit down to about five or six, all based on reaction to the many that they previously went to. No, they don't go to Ray's but they do go to the Prime Rib and to the Capital Grille. They FEEL like D. C., they FEEL like power restaurants and a big deal. They go to Kinkead's, they go to the Old Ebbitt. I note all this because these are solid, long established restaurants that receive relatively little notice on this and other boards. Yet, for many they are dependable and evoke a personality that visitors enjoy.

Bonarote. Tony Soprano would feel right at home! Serious. I took two friends there who live nea Newark and they said it felt like "a place from home."

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